Fort Jefferson (Kentucky)
Encyclopedia
Fort Jefferson was a town on the Mississippi River
about one mile south of Wickliffe, Kentucky
in southwestern Ballard County
. The formal town was founded in 1858; however, in 1779, George Rogers Clark
built a stronghold of the same name at the intersection of the Mississippi
and Ohio River
s in order to consolidate his forces and to control access to the Ohio.
The original fort was occupied until 1781, and while the town itself no longer exists, the site is now home of the Westvaco paper factory.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
about one mile south of Wickliffe, Kentucky
Wickliffe, Kentucky
Wickliffe is a city in Ballard County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 794 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ballard County.Wickliffe is part of the Paducah, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Wickliffe is located at ....
in southwestern Ballard County
Ballard County, Kentucky
Ballard County is a county located in west of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was created by the Kentucky State Legislature in 1842, and is named for Captain Bland Ballard, a soldier, statesman, and member of the Kentucky General Assembly. He was one of the few Kentucky volunteers to survive the...
. The formal town was founded in 1858; however, in 1779, George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
built a stronghold of the same name at the intersection of the Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
s in order to consolidate his forces and to control access to the Ohio.
The original fort was occupied until 1781, and while the town itself no longer exists, the site is now home of the Westvaco paper factory.